The Elementalist: Wake up
by Melissa Waters
Summary: Book 2, Chapter 8 Atlas storms off after his fight with his brother, leaving Elio all alone. When things to haywire, Merlin and Navi, are the only ones able to get help. As they race against the clock to find Atlas, Elio lays dying, alone and injured. Will Atlas make it in time, before it's too late? One-shot, though there is an alternarte ending.


Atlas is mad at Elio and walks off. Elio returns to his room and suddenly can't contain his magic and it starts burning him from the inside. Merlin and Navi run to find Atlas, who immediately realizes something is wrong and runs back to their room only to find Elio pretty much dead

(Elementalist, Book 2, Chapter 8)

Atlas is mad at Elio and walks off. Elio returns to his room and suddenly can't contain his magic and it starts burning him from the inside. Merlin and Navi run to find Atlas, who immediately realizes something is wrong and runs back to their room only to find Elio pretty much dead

(Elementalist, Book 2, Chapter 8)

***IMPORTANT! The name of the character is Elio. His Arylu is called Merlin.

"Atlas you can't keep running away from me-" I shouted after Atlas as he stormed off, fuming. I took a step forward as I spoke, but a sudden flash of pain through my skull stopped me short. I clutched at my head and my eyes burned like someone had thrown acid onto them and I fought back a pained groan.

The pain in my head faded and I looked around only to find myself in a place I had never seen before. It was a room, nearly empty with only a few pieces of furniture. The beige walls were cracked and looked as if they could collapse at any moment. The roof didn't look to be faring much better.

"Help… somebody… anybody…" came a voice from behind me.

I twisted to locate the source of the familiar voice. There, curled up on the floor, with her knees bent up to her chest, was Gemma, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. I started forward to rush to her side when suddenly I was back in the lobby.

I turned around hastily looking for Gemma before I realized that she wasn't there. And apparently, neither was Atlas. He'd've disappeared somewhere during the vision.

The vision. What did it mean? I had recognized Gemma, and she had looked so frightened that it hurt me to picture her. No, she wasn't frightened. She was terrified!

A sudden wave dizziness overcame me and I leaned on the wall for support and placed a hand on my forehead, which had started to pound once again. It had been a long day. Perhaps I needed some rest. And after a nice refreshing nap, I would also have time to mull over the vision.

As I stumbled to my dorm, the pain behind my eyes grew worse and worse and it became increasingly harder to stay standing. My skin prickled and I felt my magic coursing through my veins as if trying to get out and it felt increasingly uncomfortable.

I heard a worried whine and looked down to see Merlin staring up at me with his big, purple eyes.

"Hey, buddy-" I didn't get a chance to end that sentence before I collapsed. Crashing against the low table, I tumbled to the floor my head spinning. Merlin dashed to my side, placing his paws against my chest and sniffing my face nervously. With a puff, Navi appeared next to him, looking equally worried.

I tried to open my mouth, tried to tell the two of them that I'm okay. But my mouth wouldn't open and a burning sensation expanded over my chest. Warm at first, it increased and within seconds I was screaming in pain.

Merlin and Navi dashed around me, adding to my already confused and agonized brain. I clutched at my head, gripping my hair and I arched my back as the pain intensified. My magic fluttered around, ripping me apart from the inside, yearning for freedom. It wanted out.

And I released it.

BOOM! Red flames exploded from me, spreading all around, grabbing and wrecking everything in its way.

Glass, shards of clay and other sharp objects shot through the air, burying themselves into the walls and sinking into my flesh, adding to my pain. Shelves toppled, books fell to the ground, furniture went flying. A cabinet fell to the ground near me. It was a miracle I wasn't crushed under it.

Darkness washed over me, dimming my thoughts as well as my vision. Oblivion wasn't far away, and the thought of it, a release from the torture seemed so inviting. But something told me to fight it. Not to give in, to stay awake for just a few more minutes. That help would come.

And I fought. I fought to keep my eyes open for what seemed like years. My screams had died away, my throat dry. I suddenly felt drained, hollow. Empty. I reached inside and felt only the tiniest bit of magic left in me. The amount of magic I had just released in a single blast, should have killed me.

It dawned to me it was probably doing so as I lay there, all alone. That sent a jolt through me. Where were Merlin and Navi? They had been right here, hadn't they?

I didn't have the energy to turn my head to look for them, but I was sure they were gone. Gone, or crushed somewhere beneath all the debris. I hoped it wasn't the latter.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling above me, and faintly heard the echoing of footsteps somewhere far away. Too far away. Whoever it was would never make it in time.

As I closed my eyes, the image of a single person popped into my mind. Atlas.

"I'm sorry, Altas," I whispered. "I'm so sorry."

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Atlas stormed through the hallways, his fists clenched tightly. Anger surged through him and he gritted his teeth, fighting back his magic, that reacted to his ever-growing fury by flitting around like a nervous butterfly.

He was so focused on his anger it took him a moment to hear the yips nearing him from behind down the hallway. Twisting around, Atlas was shocked to see both Navi and Merlin racing towards him, ears bent backward, tiny horns shining gently.

Navi, Atlas might have understood, since the young Arylu seemed to take more interest in him than in his brother, but Merlin was Elio's familiar and tended to stay close to his partner if outside the Ether. So what was the creature doing out here without him?

The two small dog-like creatures were yipping at him, circling his legs and leaping against him.

"Woah, calm down," he exclaimed and they both stilled and came to stand in front of him. He crouched down to the little creatures' level and looked at them closely. The normal wag of their tails was gone and the hair on the Arylus' backs was standing straight up.

Merling bowed his head and whimpered, glanced back at the hallway and then back at Atlas and still whimpering, tugged on his coat.

Atlas felt a cold hand clutch his heart. Something had happened to Elio. Something bad.

All the anger he had felt towards his brother suddenly evaporated, replaced by worry and Atlas bolted back towards the lobby. Navi and Merlin puffed in and out of the Ether, a few paces ahead, leading the way.

Turning from several corners, Atlas burst into Elio's dorm and frozen in horror. The place was destroyed. Shelves were over-turned, books were lying on the ground, pieces of glass were scattered around the room, pieces of ripped curtains lay on the floor. But what made Atlas stop was none of these things.

There, on the floor lay Elio. Lifeless.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Atlas yelled, clambering over furniture and rushing to his brother's side. Elio lay on his back, covered in scrapes and bruises from the glass and a large, bleeding wound mounted his forehead. Most likely he had hit his head on something. It was bleeding a lot, but Atlas knew head wounds usually did, and that it looked a lot worse than it was.

But he wasn't worried about that. He was worried about how Elio's skin was colorless and cold to the touch, and he didn't seem to be breathing. He seemed… no. He couldn't make himself say it. Pressing two fingers onto Elio's throat, Atlas felt for a pulse. There was none. He was...

Dead.

But he couldn't be! Atlas had seen him just a few minutes ago when he had…

When he had stormed off in anger, leaving Elio behind. He had left angry, without resolving things with his brother. Atlas refused to let that be the last thing they did together.

Pressing his hands against Elio's chest, Atlas began pumping up and down rhythmically, counting out loud to thirty, before leaning down, squeezing Elio's nose shut to prevent air escaping and then breathed twice into his mouth. He continued with the chest compressions, counting, again and again, leaning down and breathing.

There seemed to be no progress and tears sprung into Atlas' eyes.

"Don't leave me, Elio. Don't you dare leave me here. Not after everything we've been through; you are not leaving me here!"

He leaned down, breathed and watched as his tears slid down onto Elio's face, drenching it. Merlin, who had been standing back with Navi, looking at the brothers, now walked forward and licked his partner's face affectionately.

Atlas felt his shoulders begin to shake as sobs fought their way out of him, but he steeled himself and kept his arms straight and firm.

"Come back to me, Elio, please come back to me. You can't die like this. You can't. I won't let you die like this, you hear me?" Atlas' voice rose to a shout as he pumped up and down. "I will not let you die like this!"

A sob finally escaped him and he collapsed onto the body lying in front of him. Weakly he hammered his fist against Elio's chest, pleading for him to wake up, for him to be okay.

"Please, Elio," he sobbed. "Please."

Lifting his head, Atlas stared into his brother's emotionless face and remembered all the times he had seen it light up. He remembered Elio's laugh, his smile, his scowl, and his frown. HE remembered the first time they had seen each other when he had still been stuck in the Shadow Realm. He remembered being held captive by Raife and escaping. Surviving.

They had survived all of that. So how, how could he be dead all of a sudden. How. HOW?

The scream that tore from his throat was not human. He channeled all his grief and anger into it, all his guilt for not being there to stop whatever had happened. He let it all out. He screamed, he sobbed, and he hit his fist on the ground, until it was bloody, because nothing could match the feeling he was enduring. Nothing would ever match it.

"Wake up, Elio!" he shrieked, shaking his brother's limp body by the shoulders. "Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!"He bowed his head once more and sobbed. "Wake up, please. Please, Elio. Please brother. Wake up."

He didn't.


End file.
